


A Spouse for Prince Hanzo

by PineapplesForDays



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F, F/M, Hanzo is a Picky Bitch, M/M, McHanzo - Freeform, Prince Hanzo, Shimada Brothers, Young Genji Shimada, Young Hanzo Shimada, Young Jesse McCree, prince genji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-03-06 05:59:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13404924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PineapplesForDays/pseuds/PineapplesForDays
Summary: Prince Hanzo lives in his family’s castle with his mother father and brother. Hanzo is set to take over his father's, the king's, position but first he needs a spouse. Unfortunately, children born of royalty do not make for very interesting creatures and so Hanzo sets out to find one that can hold his attention.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, I don't know how this is going to go over. I tried my best to make this as gender neutral and inclusive as possible. If I screwed something up please feel free to let me know. On the other hand if you feel I got something right again please feel free to let me know. All in all any feedback is appreciated. Happy reading! (◠‿◠✿)

It had all started with the ball. Prince Hanzo had been informed that the next night he was to dress in his best suit for the ball being held in his honor. When he asked Steward Edmund why there was a ball being held in his honor he was given the unfortunate news. It was being held so he could choose a prince or princess who would rule the Shimada family at Hanzo's side. 

He had tried to explain to his father, the King, that he was not ready to choose a spouse and no matter how many suitors were paraded in front of the prince he would still not be ready. Naturally, his father refused to listen. He said that as heir to the Shimada name he was to choose a spouse. 

Hanzo tried to dissuade his father telling him he could handle the kingdom without a spouse but his father would not hear it. No matter what Hanzo said, his father stood his ground and ordered Hanzo to attend the ball and at least try and find someone he wouldn’t mind sharing the throne with. 

Hanzo relented and agreed to try, he knew this was going to happen eventually. He knew what his obligations were, being the heir to the Shimada throne and he knew he couldn’t let his parents down so he decided he would at least try. 

He stood at the front of the room with the king and queen on either side of him the next night. The three watched as each royal was introduced. Once the last royal had been ushered into the room Hanzo set out to talk to some of them and see if he couldn’t find one that would make a suitable spouse. 

After three hours and three dozen dances with three dozen different suitors Hanzo had lost hope. Every person here was undeniably boring and not a one of them cared to talk about anything more than dresses or sparring. 

This was what he hated about children of royalty, they were born and bred for royalty and, frankly, royalty was boring. They had lived cushy lives in fancy palaces being waited on hand and foot. That kind of life doesn’t leave many stories to tell. 

Hanzo was tired and he didn’t want to hear about chiffon dresses or iron swords anymore. He made his way back to his father. 

"These suitors are all dull and boring." 

"Have you found the least dull one to wed?" 

"They are all equally dull and I do not want to share our throne with any of them. There was one that was slightly less dull than the others but when the clock rung midnight she suddenly ran away from me. She lost a shoe on her way out, I am surprised she did not fall down the front steps." 

"Would you agree to marry that princess if we found her once more?" 

"I do not see how you could, she did not give me her name and I do not remember her being introduced. Not to mention you cannot do much with one shoe." 

"But, would you agree to marry her if we did find her?" 

Hanzo made a hmm noise, "no, still too dull." 

His father let out an exasperated sigh, "Hanzo I do not know what you wish for me to do then, I have invited all of the suitors that I could possibly manage to contact in our realm to this ball and yet you refuse every one of them." 

"What about suitors you could not contact?" 

The king stared forward for a moment before turning back to Hanzo, "what are you talking about?" 

"You know, princesses and princes protected by a dragon or under a witch's curse." 

"Those are just fairy tales and you know it. There are not royal children locked away in towers that you can just rescue and marry." 

"They are not fairy tales, there are scrolls that come to the castle regularly of monarchs asking for help getting their lost children back." 

His father put his fingers to his temples, "they are impossible missions that no one ever comes back from." 

"What about Prince Eugene who found the princess locked in a tower in the middle of the woods, climbed up her hair, slayed the witch keeping her there, and married her." 

"That is an oddity." 

"Okay, Fine. What about Princess Phylicity who found an entire castle in the woods covered in briars and once she made her way inside found a sleeping princess, woke her up, and married her?" 

"You cannot base your argument on these few one in a million cases." 

"Then there's Prince Eric who found a mute boy on the beach, found the witch holding his voice, killed her, returned his voice, and married him?" 

"Fine! There is the possibility that there are suitors out there I was not able to contact." 

"I would like to try and pursue these suitors, father. If they managed to get cursed or kidnapped then they are already more interesting then every person in this ballroom." 

"Hanzo, you are being ridiculous." 

"How so? I am going to have to spend the rest of my life with this one person. Pardon me for wanting them to be able to hold an intelligent conversation." 

The king let out another exasperated sigh, "fine, I will have Edmund round up as many of the scrolls as he can for you to look through. I do not plan on stepping down from the throne right away so you have some time yet to pick a spouse." 

"May I retire to my room for the night then?" 

"That is fine. I will tell Edmund to get the scrolls for you to look through tomorrow." 

Hanzo bowed to the king and promptly left the room. On his way out, he found his brother, Prince Genji, in a very compromising position with one of the princesses from the ball. He shook his head as he walked past loosening the collar to his suit. 

Genji always did this kind of thing when people were invited to the castle always managing to find one or more to sneak off with. Hanzo paid the younger Shimada no mind as he continued past to his own chambers to retire for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo sets out to find himself a royal that isn't completely boring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #NotDead lol. Sorry it took so long to update this fic I posted the first chapter way too soon and didn't actually know where I wanted to take this, hopefully, I've figured out what I want from this fic and will be able to update more frequently. Happy Reading! (◠‿◠✿)

The next morning brought sunlight streaming in through the prince's windows as his valet woke the sleeping prince. Hanzo sat up groggily as his valet started talking. 

"Good morning sire, breakfast is being prepared and I have set out your clothes. Once you are ready Steward Edmund has been rounding up the scrolls the king requested to have you look through." 

Hanzo rubbed his eyes as he swung his legs off the bed, "thank you, I will be down for breakfast in a moment." 

Once his hair had been pulled back into a low ponytail and he was sure his outfit was without flaw he headed down to the dining room. As he sat, one of the maids brought out his plate and set it in front of him. As he picked up his fork he greeted his father and mother who were finishing up their breakfast. He didn’t see any sign of Genji but that was usual after a party. 

"Edmund has collected all of the most recent scrolls of missing royal children for our realm. There is a surprising many of them." 

"There do seem to be an alarming number of royal children being kidnapped or cursed." 

"All the more for you to choose from. I expect you to have a scroll picked and be heading out to find the missing royal before the end of the week." 

Hanzo nodded his affirmation and finished eating. Hanzo was informed Edmund had the scrolls in the library and the prince set out to find him. He located the older man in the back of the library where most written documents the castle received were kept. 

"Hello Edmund, father tells me you have some scrolls for me to look at." 

Edmund looked up from where he was working to greet the young prince, "good day, Prince Hanzo, these are all of the scrolls received in the last two months for missing or captive royal children. I hope one will be to your liking." 

"Me as well, there has got to be at least one eligible suitor in this realm that is not a complete bore."  

Hanzo sat in one of the chairs surrounding the table the scrolls sat on. His father was right this was a lot of scrolls for just two months' time. He shook his head as he grabbed the closest one and opened it, 

_Dearest Consort,_

_My son, Prince Richard, has been taken from me. He was out tending his garden when the fairies wandered out of the forest and managed to trick him into following them. Luckily, one of my knights happen to see the whole ordeal and was able to follow him and figure out where the winged beasts took him._

_Unfortunately, she was not strong enough alone to defeat the cunning creatures which is why I reach out to seek help to return my son safely home._

_A reward of gold and his hand in marriage is being offered to any one that is able to retrieve him from the fairies hold. I beg of you, be quick about it, his kingdom and family miss him dearly._

_King Daemon_

Hanzo rolled it back up, naturally his father would send him with a few knights to accompany him on his quest but fairies seemed a bit much for a first quest, they could be vicious when they wanted to be. He picked up another, 

_Dearest Consort,_

_I hope this scroll reaches you swiftly for my precious Princess Evelynn has been taken by a witch. Actually, you see, she was traded, by my son, for a magical sword._

_Prince Joffrey assured me he'd be able to reclaim Princess Evelynn after he had possession of the magical sword but he seemed to overestimate his abilities so now, I need someone else to reclaim her._

_Please come swiftly, we know where she is being held and a reward of gold and her hand in marriage is being offered. I do not trust the witch not to hurt her, the sooner you can help the better._

_Queen Lorraine_

No way was Hanzo getting wed into a family that had a son stupid enough to trade away his sister and not have the competence to get her back. 

He looked through scroll after scroll trying to find one that suited him. He was still amazed by the sheer number of scrolls. There had to be 30+ scrolls on the table but, not all of the scrolls were missing children of royalty, some were notes of rescue.  

Some of the scrolls were letting the kingdom know that someone had already helped to reclaim the lost royal and so further aid was no longer needed. Most of these were also wedding announcements between the royal and their savior.  

Hanzo had a list going of all the found royal children so that if he came across a scroll where the royal had already been found he could discard it. 

After close to an hour of reading and debating he found one that stuck out to him,  

_Dearest Consort,_

_My daughter Princess Noell has recently been kidnapped by trolls. The trolls had made a deal with a witch to get her out of the castle but we have since sent scouts out to try and find the location of the princess and they say the witch is nowhere to be seen._

_The trolls have her captive in a cage inside their fortress. Unfortunately, all of our forces have been sent off to aid a different kingdom and we do not have the man power to retrieve her._

_I beg of anyone who has the man power to get our dearest Noell back to please aid us. She is being kept like an animal and we miss her dearly._

_A reward of gold and Princess Noell's hand in marriage awaits any who can free her._

_King Bartholomew_   

Now this looked promising, trolls might be large but they're stupid. If the witch had already left the scene then getting Noell back should be a cake walk. They could wait outside the fortress until night fell then Hanzo would sneak in to retrieve the princess and if anything were to go awry then the other knights with him would charge the fortress and they would kill the trolls if necessary. 

Hanzo stood from his chair, "I have found a quest that doesn’t seem too life threatening, I shall go speak with father about leaving as soon as possible. Please, do not put the scrolls away, if it doesn’t work out with Princess Noell I want to have other options." 

Edmund nodded his head as Hanzo turned out of the room with his scroll. He found his father in the throne room where he was talking with officials. Hanzo waited his turn and after the officials had left he approached his father.  

"I have found a scroll that I would like to pursue." 

The king held out his hand and Hanzo placed the scroll there. The king read it over and handed it back to Hanzo, "good choice, trolls are large but stupid, a simple plan should be able to outsmart them." 

Hanzo let a small smirk grace his features as he realized those were his thoughts exactly. The two men spoke further on the matter and before too long a plan had been set. They had figured how to infiltrate the fortress, how many knights to take, and what supplies would be needed on the quest.  

Genji insisted on coming along claiming that the castle was boring and he was never allowed to do anything. Hanzo didn’t complain, his brother was an amazing swordsman and would greatly aid them if they did have to engage the trolls.  

Preparations were made and knights were gathered. After four days the quest party was set to leave the castle. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo goes on his first rescue attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna stop saying when I think this will be updated because I'm never right. Happy Reading!

The party rode for six days before they were able to see the fortress in the distance. They set up camp and on the first night only a few scouts were sent ahead so they could learn how the fortress was protected at night. Once they learned the position of the guards, the range of their patrols, and their blind spots Hanzot took this information into consideration. He tweaked where they would enter and where the rest of the knights would wait and went over the improved plan with all the knights in the party. 

As the second night hit, the party moved silently towards the fortress. Hanzo, Genji, and two other knights separated from the group to go to the entry point while everyone else gathered at a second entry point. The four-man team was to scale the fortress wall and retrieve the princess. Once they had the princess they were to get her to the exit point where there would be a rope to help her get over the wall. 

Scaling the wall went flawlessly and all four men made it inside without problem. Hanzo and Genji led while the other two watched behind them. They located the cage the princess was in and the older prince used his bow to silently get rid of the single guard in front of it. Once the guard was down the brothers worked on getting the cage open while the others watched for any more trolls who would see them. 

Hanzo looked over the princess while Genji worked on the lock. She was asleep but she was in rough shape. She appeared to still have a dress on, Hanzo could only assume it was the dress she was wearing when she was kidnapped. It was torn and so dirty you couldn’t make out the pattern anymore. Her auburn hair was in absolute disarray and her face was covered in dirt. 

Genji opened the door and Hanzo went in to wake the princess. After a few shakes and calling her name Noell woke. Her eyes wernt wide in panic as she opened them and she seemed disoriented. Hanzo did his best to keep her calm while she figured out what was going on. After a moment she seemed to calm slightly and Hanzo introduced himself. 

"I am Hanzo and this is my brother Genji, if you could please stay quiet and follow me were going to get you out of here." 

She stayed silent and nodded her head and Hanzo offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up. The now five-person party began to move to the exit point. The elder Shimada was shocked by how smoothly this was going and had Noell halfway up the wall before there was a small blip. While the siblings had been watching the princess to make sure she made it over the wall there was the sound of an arrow being loosed behind them. 

Both brothers turned to see what the danger was, hands instinctively going to their weapons, and caught a glimpse of the troll just before it hit the ground. Genji turned back to Noell while Hanzo split his attention behind and in front of him. Once the princess was safely over the wall Hanzo tapped the two other men on the shoulder as a signal for them to get out. 

The two men made their exit with the brothers following right behind them. Once over the wall Hanzo found Noell and tucked her under his arm as they made their way to join with the rest of the group. Almost as soon as the two groups rejoined, alarms started to go off inside the fortress. 

The other trolls had most likely found the dead trolls or the empty cage. As one group the knights and royals hurried to their horses. Hanzo helped Noell onto his horse and she held him tight as they all rode as fast as they could away from the fortress. 

They decided it would probably be best to ride through the night and sleep once they hit the castle so there was no chance of the trolls following them. 

As the sun was starting to fall from its highest point the next day the quest party came across the gates to Princess Noell's home. Hanzo and Noell rode up to the gatekeeper and the princess told the gatekeeper to grant the party entry. 

As they crossed into the court yard the king and queen came rushing out of the castle gates. As soon as Noell noticed them she was off Hanzo's horse and in her parent's arms in seconds. Once the king had finished welcoming his daughter home he turned his attention to the brothers as the queen ushered the princess into the castle. 

Turns out, King Bartholomew is a very affectionate man as he was insistent that he had to thank the siblings with copious hugs and handshakes. Once the king had said his thanks around 100 times, to each brother, he led the party into the castle where they were able to get clean, rest, and have dinner. 

Hanzo didn't see Noell for the rest of the night. 

The next day the brothers decided that Hanzo would stay to get acquainted with Noell while Genji would lead most of the party back to the Shimada castle. Two men would stay with Hanzo while the rest left with Genji. They planned for the younger sibling to leave early the next morning so the rest of the day was spent preparing and relaxing. 

Hanzo, again, didn’t see Noell at all. 

Everyone was up early so as to see Genji and the party off. Hanzo made sure all the supplies were packed and all the knights were set for the long journey back to the castle. The siblings said one final goodbye as Genji and the knights made their way out of the castle gates. 

Once the gates closed behind the party the king came up to stand next to Hanzo. The older Shimada turned to him, "I have seen little of Princes Noell I hope she is doing well after her horrid experience." 

The king nodded his head, "I appreciate your concern, she is having a bit of trouble working through the trauma the trolls had put her through. I'm sure within a few days she will be back to her normal self. Since her hand in marriage was part of the reward you will be part of our family soon enough so you are welcome here as long as you want." 

Hanzo nodded and the two men turned to head back into the castle followed by the prince's guards. 

Over the next few days Noell was very scarce, the prince only seeing her a few times in passing and not actually being able to speak with her at all. So, instead, Hanzo spent his time getting acquainted with the king and queen. 

They were very lovely people but Hanzo was beginning to grow worried, if the encounter had affected Noell so greatly then she would be in no state of mind to court a suitor let alone get married. 

Two weeks passed with little progress on Noell's part, the queen became scarce as well spending most days with Noell trying to get her back to herself. The king grew more worried as the days passed and Noell didn’t show any signs of improvement. 

After another week had passed Hanzo decided it was time for him to head home and try again. He told the king he was to be leaving the next day and the king only nodded sorrowfully. Provisions were packed and goodbyes were said. The king and queen came to say goodbye to Hanzo but Noell stayed in the castle. 

Hanzo assured the king and queen that his family would be available to help if they needed it. With one final hug for both monarchs Hanzo climbed atop his horse and the three men made their way out of the gates. 

A week later the three men made their way back through the gates of Shimada castle. Naturally, Hanzo's father called for him as soon as his horse was stabled. Once he reached the throne room the elder prince noticed his mother, father, and brother were already gathered. 

Hanzo explained the situation and assured his father he'd be back in the library the next day to find another scroll. His father nodded and expressed his sorrow that Princess Noell wasn't handling the trauma well. He dismissed Hanzo and Genji and the brothers left the room together. 

"So, can I go on the next quest too? I enjoyed the action though it is a real shame about Princess Noell I do hope she feels better soon." 

"As do I, but yes, you may accompany me on the next quest as well, I enjoy being able to spend time with you and your fighting expertise will come in handy if needed." 

"You're the best, aniki, goodnight!" 

Genji turned and headed off and Hanzo was left alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One final quest to end all quests... or so Hanzo thinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha not dead yet... *groans*

Hanzo dropped Stormbow onto his bed and then flopped down on top of it himself. It had been nine months since he had gotten home from the tragedy with Princess Noell. Since then he had been on plenty more quests ranging from angry tree gnomes to viscous three headed monsters with a witch or two here and there. 

Hanzo was exhausted, each quest took between three and four weeks and not one of the royals he rescued were suitable for him. They were either a bore to speak to or were so self-centered they yelled at Hanzo for taking so long to rescue them. 

Thankfully none of the royal children he had rescued thus far had the same response Noell had. The ones who weren't angry about not being rescued sooner were shaken but after a few days being home they seemed to settle and begin acting normally once more. 

If you considered their behavior normal in the first place.

Hanzo decided that he would try one more scroll before he just settled on which ever royal bored him the least. He went to the library and grabbed a scroll off the table. 

_Dearest_ _Consort,_

_I_ _am sending this scroll with great sorrow._ _My_ _son Prince Kushal_ _h_ _as_ _been kidnapped by a dragon._

_W_ _e do not know why the beast took h_ _im_ _but we do know_ _he_ _is being held in a castle that the dragon protects. It is surrounded by lava_ _and_ _guarded_ _by the dragon._

_I_ _know this quest sounds impossible but I beg of you please help our_ _son_ _. A reward of gold and h_ _is_ _hand in marriage is being offered for h_ _is_ _safe return._

_Queen_ _Saari_

A castle surrounded by lava and guarded by a dragon? Might as well make his last attempt a memorable one. He informed his parents and brother, who thought Hanzo was crazy for taking on such a dangerous quest, but they wished him luck and a safe journey anyway. 

Genji informed his brother that picking such a risky quest would not derail his excitement, he was going on this quest just as he had for every one before it. 

Hanzo didn’t argue, he was enjoying his brothers company. It was nice to be able to talk to him outside of their training and all of the long rides gave the brothers plenty of time to talk.

They prepared, collected up the knights that were to accompany them, and were ready to go after two days' time. He'd done this so many times at this point that preparing to leave took almost no time at all.

~~~

Five day’s ride was how long it took to reach the bottom of the mountain the castle was settled on top of. Another day's climb led them to a flat landing just beyond the bridge used to reach the castle proper. Like so many times before, camp was set and scouts were sent to find out what awaited them beyond the broken gates.

Being this close to the lava made it almost unbearably hot on the landing but the coolness that came with their high altitude helped. 

The scouts had been warned that there was a dragon beyond the gates and they needed to be especially quiet. 

Thankfully, all the scouts came back after a few hours' time. The scouts said they had seen the dragon moving around but were unable to pinpoint exactly where it resided in the castle. Also, the castle itself seemed to be pretty run down.  The dragon must've found it abandoned and set up here. 

They were also able to report that they believed the prince was being held in the highest tower. It was the only room that had light coming from the windows in all the places they looked.

Hanzo wasn’t exactly pleased that they didn’t know the exact location of the dragon but he guessed that was to be expected. He tweaked his plan using the information the scouts had brought back, told his knights, and they laid down for the night. 

The next morning, they rose early, they didn’t know if the dragon was nocturnal or diurnal so Hanzo figured early morning was as good a time as any. Loading up their armor and weapons the brothers and the knights started to make their way across the rickety rope bridge that lead to the castle gates.

Hanzo lead them through the front gates, which were half off their hinges. The group stayed together until they came to their first set of corridors. 

"We will split up here, keep as quiet as you can for we do not want to disturb the dragon if at all possible. We are looking for stairs that will lead to the tower the prince is being held in. Each group will take a scout with them and if you find anything send the scout to find me or Genji."

All of the knights nodded their understanding and split up leaving the two brothers to take the last corridor. They walked along silently until they came upon a large room that had two more passages leading out of it. 

"Alright, brother, I will continue straight and you head right remember were just looking for some stairs that will lead up to the tower."

"Are you sure that splitting up further is the best idea, aniki? I mean there is still a dragon around here somewhere." 

"We have seen no sign of the dragon as of yet, I am sure you will be fine, you are a highly trained ninja, remember? Sneaking is supposed to be your specialty."

Genji grumbled as he headed off, Hanzo simply turned and headed down his own corridor. The elder prince found himself wishing this castle wasn’t quite so big, also, there seemed to be no stairs to be found.

Hanzo's corridor had opened into another large room which had a giant hole in the wall that he was able to see the tower through. He was observing it, trying to figure out where the stairs would come down when he heard Genji yelling somewhere behind him. He turned to find Genji running towards him yelling 'I found the dragon' with a huge reddish-pink dragon chasing him.

As Genji passed him Hanzo spun around and dashed after his brother, "you were supposed to find stairs not the dragon, Genji!"

"I was just walking along looking for the damn stairs when I turned the corner and there was a dragon staring at me! I didn’t do it on purpose!"

Luckily for them the dragon was rather large and wasn’t as fast on foot as the two ninjas. There was no room for it to fly either. 

Unfortunately for the brothers it was a fire breathing dragon. As the ball of fire came at the brothers they each scaled a wall to avoid the brunt of the flames. 

As the fireball made its way further down the corridor the brothers banked around the corner as the dragon let out an ear-splitting roar behind them. Ducking behind the first door they came to the brothers waited for what seemed like forever straining their ears to try and hear the dragon. 

Once the brothers had determined it was clear Hanzo glanced around the room they had ducked into. It was empty except for a set of stairs that spiraled up the tower they were standing in. 

That was convenient. 

The two brothers started to make their way up the stairs. The door at the top was closed and there was a bar across it preventing the prince from escaping. Hanzo hefted the bar up and off of the door then slowly pushed it open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know major cliff hanger but I'm short on time and wanted to get something posted. Next part should be up in the next few days.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> second half to the resuce mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha for the first time I didn't lie about when I'd be updating

Genji stayed outside of the room as Hanzo entered. The room was scarcely furnished with just a bed, a table, and a chair. His eyes locked onto those of the prince who was sitting on the bed but the prince looked to be wearing knight's armor. 

The prince was speaking before Hanzo could formulate a greeting, "Boy howdy am I glad ta see you, darlin'. Thought I was gonna die in this room."

That was not the accent he was expecting based on the names of the prince and queen but he introduced himself anyway, "I am Prince Hanzo of Shimada castle I am here to take you home, Prince Kushal."

The man scoffed, "Prince Kushal ain't here darlin', was already gone when I got here, opened the door to find an empty room," he scratched at his chin, "not 100% sure what happened with the door but when I turned to leave it was barred again. Figured his note of rescue woulda been sent out and nobody else would come lookin' in this old tower. Which woulda been a real problem for me.

"They must be taking forever sendin’ out the note of rescue too, I've already been trapped in here for ten days. The dragon keeps throwin’ food in through that hole in the roof but it isn't exactly the best quality, if you know what I'm sayin’."

Hanzo just stared at the man on the bed while he tried to sort out everything he'd just heard, "so, if you are not Prince Kushal, then who are you?"

The man heaved himself off the bed, "sorry darlin', forgot to introduce myself, name's McCree, Sir McCree if you wanna get specific."

"You are a knight then?" The man, Sir McCree, nodded, "did you come here to rescue the prince all by yourself?"

A grin split the knight's face, "a' course not darlin' what kinda fool do ya take me for? I had a group of knights that accompanied me but they all left after several hours of searchin’ the castle."

Hanzo gave the knight a questioning look, "how do you know they left and were not killed?"

Sir McCree nodded towards the window, "ya can see the rope bridge from this window, they must've assumed I'd been killed and headed home."

Hanzo just stared at McCree, "so they just left you here?"

McCree shrugged, "I don’t blame 'em, and they didn’t give up easy, they didn’t leave for at least three hours after we'd split up. Anyway," he waved his hand in the air, "we're not worryin’ about people who are no longer here, what we are worryin’ about is you helpin’ me out of the god-awful tower. We can sort out everythin’ else later."

Hanzo wasn’t going to argue, there was still a dragon somewhere, his knights were in danger, and even if Sir McCree wasn’t Prince Kushal he needed help getting out of the tower.

"My brother, Prince Genji, is waiting outside the door, allow me to send him after the rest of our knights before we leave otherwise he will want to ask too many questions."

McCree nodded his consent and Hanzo stepped out into the stair well, "I have the prince, go find the rest of our knights so we can get out of here." Genji nodded and took off down the stairs.

Hanzo reentered the room to find the knight placing his helmet on. Hanzo waited until he dropped his hands, "are you ready to go?"

McCree nodded and both men turned to head down the stairs. At the bottom Hanzo carefully pushed the door open to check if the hallway was clear. He looked right then left and was greeted with the sight of his bother running at him. 

"Don’t go that way!" He yelled as he passed the door and both Hanzo and McCree watched as the dragon chased Genji down the hall. 

"You didn’t slay the dragon?" McCree asked, incredulous.

Hanzo turned to him, "if I remember correctly you did not slay the dragon either and you got yourself locked in a tower."

McCree gave the prince finger guns, "Ya got me there, darlin'. With him distractin’ the dragon we should be able to make it out of here in one piece."

Hanzo nodded and lead them down the hall, away from where Genji and the dragon had gone. He hated to leave his brother to deal with the dragon by himself but he knew Genji was more than capable.

Hanzo tracked his steps back the way he had come until the two men were back in the room where the brothers had split up. The elder prince started to pick his way through the rubble strewn across the floor towards the doorway that would lead them to the front of the castle. 

Halfway to the door the archer heard a loud roar come from a doorway on the far right of the room. Two heads whipped up at the sound and stared wide eyed as a large reddish- pink dragon came charging at them. 

Hanzo grabbed ahold of Sir McCree's hand and began to frantically pull him towards the door, "we’re not gonna make it!" He heard McCree yell behind him.

Scanning the room around them Hanzo quickly changed course heading straight towards a wall, "what in tarnation..." Is all McCree managed to get out before Hanzo was pulling him down and through a hole in the wall. 

Once on the other side Hanzo takes in his surroundings once more trying to find the quickest way towards the front of the castle. Spying a doorway where the wooden door has come off its hinges the prince hoisted the knight back to his feet and dragged him towards it. 

The sound of the dragon chasing them stops for just a second before there is a large crash behind them. Whipping his head around Hanzo sees that the dragon has burst through the wall they ducked under. 

Turning his attention back to where they're going the prince keeps heading straight down the corridor they're currently in. Again, the dragon stops before bursting through the doorway. 

Even though the dragon is still following them Hanzo has noticed that every time it has to stop and charge a doorway it falls a little farther behind. 

Changing tactics, the prince starts darting into every available doorway, turning left and right just stacking up the number of walls the dragon had to get through to reach them. 

By the time they, miraculously, burst into the main hall of the castle the dragon was six or seven walls behind them. 

Sir McCree let out a cheer before Hanzo pulled on their joint hands in the direction of the broken gate, "Were not done yet Sir McCree, we still have to get across the rope bridge and hope Genji has rounded up all of my knights so we can get out of here."

The two men were halfway across the rope bridge when the dragon burst into the main hall. The beast blasted a fireball at them which burnt the bridge enough to break it. Clinging onto what was left of the bridge for dear life the two men climbed the last little bit like a ladder before scurrying to the landing.

Hanzo was relieved to see Genji on the landing with all of their knights, "we didn’t manage to slay the dragon and it is following us! Knights! Ready your bows!" 

Within seconds every archer on the landing had their bow in hand. The elder prince knew that their arrows would only be a tickle to the thick scales of the dragon, however, he also knew that a dragon's wings only had thin skin stretched between the supporting bones.

Hanzo bellowed out the next order, "We are aiming for the wings, I want to drop this beast in the lava it was using to protect itself! On my command!"

As the dragon circled to come at them again Hanzo barked his command, "Draw!"

Every archer waited for Hanzo to give the call to fire. After several long breaths the dragon was over the lava once more. 

The command came, clear as day across the tense landing. 

"FIRE!"

All at once tens of arrows flew towards the dragon that was charging at them. Hanzo didn’t waste any time, calling once more to draw. With a second call to fire another volley of arrows flew towards the beast. As Hanzo called to draw once more he watched as the dragon began to flap its wings harder getting less and less lift with every beat.

Hanzo called to fire once more and all of the men watched as the mighty beast's wings were finally torn to shreds and it fell helplessly down to the molten rock below.

Every man and woman stood on the landing listening to the dragon roar from below. After a few seconds Genji ran past his brother to look over the ledge into the lava. Everyone waited to hear what the young prince would say. 

Genji turned towards the knights before thrusting both arms into the air and letting out a cheer, "we have slain the mighty dragon!"

A cheer ran through every knight on the landing. Hanzo let a victorious smile grace his features and high fived his brother as he came running at him. After Genji turned away to congratulate the rest of the knights McCree came to stand next to Hanzo. 

"Looks like you managed to slay the dragon after all. Nice commandin’ there, Prince Hanzo."

Before Hanzo was able to formulate a response Genji was in front of him once more, "I have told the knights to pack up so we can head out," the young prince turned his attention to Sir McCree, "and who is this, he isn't one of our knights, I can tell by the armor. In fact," Genji turned his gaze on the men and women gathered behind him, "where is Prince Kushal? I don’t see him here. I though you said you had the prince when you sent me off the round up the knights."

Genji was looking at Hanzo again with a puzzled look across his young face, "you see, brother, Prince Kushal has already been rescued. This is Sir McCree he came here looking for Prince Kushal as well but when he got here the prince was gone. He managed to get himself locked in the tower so I ended up rescuing him instead of the prince."

Genji turned his emerald gaze onto the knight who just shrugged, "happens to the best of us."

Genji looked stricken, "so you mean our last grand adventure, the quest to end all quests, was a bust?"

Hanzo knew what his brother was trying to say, that his last chance at a reasonably good suitor, was all for naught, "I would not say it was a bust exactly, I mean we did rid the realm of another dragon and we saved Sir McCree's life."

McCree cut in, "I'm very appreciative of the lifesavin’ part. I'd like to thank the both of you and all of your knights for helpin’ me even if I wasn't the intended damsel in distress."

The younger prince gave the knight a once over, "you don’t look like much of a damsel but I guess saving someone is better than risking our necks to find an empty tower."

Hanzo gave McCree a slight bow "You are welcome, Sir McCree." Then turned to face Genji, "I agree, brother. Now, if our knights are all ready to go let us get out of here, I do not wish to be this close to that castle any longer. With the structural damage it already had combined with all the walls the dragon blasted through I am not even sure how it is still standing."

The swordsman nodded to the archer before turning to get all of the knights on their way down the mountain.

By the time they reached the bottom it was dusk, Hanzo set down his bow and quiver by a fallen log and called out to the knights, "we will set up camp here for the night and head out first thing in the morning."


	6. Chapter 6

Hanzo was sitting next to the fire cleaning Stormbow when Sir McCree came to sit down next to him. They sat for a minute before Hanzo spoke, "in the morning my brother, Prince Genji, will lead most of our men back to Shimada castle, myself and two knights will escort you back to your castle."

McCree looked slightly concerned, he let out a nervous chuckle before continuing, "you don’t hafta worry bout all a' that, darlin'. I appreciate the rescue but you and your knights can head on home I'll manage my way back."

Hanzo stilled his hands as he looked at the knight next to him, "Sir McCree, I am not going to leave you out here to fend for yourself. I just saved you from a dragon, I am not going to let you get yourself killed trying to get home."

McCree was running his hands up and down his thighs and still looked a bit nervous, "if you don’t wanna leave me alone then leave me with a horse and some rations, I'll make it home jus’ fine."

Hanzo gave the man a hard look, "why are you so insistent that I not come with you? If you would prefer I can send Genji with you and I will lead my knights home."

McCree went wide-eyed, "no no darlin, it has nothing to do with you. It's just, my kingdom isn't exactly home to the nicest folk and I worry if a proper prince were to accompany me back then some of the more problematic members might give you a hard time about leaving."

Hanzo thought for a moment, "Sir McCree, which kingdom do you live in?"

McCree cast his gaze at the fire, "I was afraid you were gonna ask that,” he exhaled loudly, "my home is in Deadlock castle."

Hanzo really did hate to burst McCree's bubble but he definitely needed some clarification, "I am afraid I have not heard of Deadlock castle."

McCree let out a humorless chuckle, "you probably haven't, it's only been Deadlock castle for a few years. You probably know it as Paxton castle."

Hanzo had heard of Paxton Castle, it was in a different realm from his own kingdom and so he didn’t know much about it, although, the castle's new name didn’t sound promising, "why are you referring to it as Deadlock castle?"

"Well a couple years back there was a bit of a mutiny and some of the more... undesirable members of the Paxton kingdom decided they didn’t like the new laws the king was trying to impose. So, they made a plan to overthrow the king and queen. 

"Of course, they didn’t have enough man power to take on the royal army so they behaved themselves and bid their time until the king had sent a bunch a’ our troops to aid another kingdom. He didn’t figure he would need protection from his own people.”

The knight paused and let out a long breath, "They attacked in the dead of night, killed the entire royal family. Come day break our new King had set up in the throne room with a couple of his biggest thugs protectin’ him. Every noble left in Paxton kingdom was called to stand before king Deadlock and pledge their loyalty. Any who refused were killed.

"What I didn’t tell you was I'm actually a Duke to Paxton Castle and of course I pledged my loyalty to king Deadlock, the royal family was already dead, it's not like getting' killed myself would've changed anything.

"Anyway, that’s why I was out here trying to rescue Prince Kushal, if I can get wed into another royal family then I would be able to leave Deadlock Castle. Our king has managed to get our kingdom into some pretty shady business and he rules with an iron fist, either you obey or you die.

"I've actually been trying my hand at quite a few rescues lately but they always back fire, although, this was my most life-threatening fail yet. Have I told you yet how thankful I am that you and your brother showed up at this abandoned castle?"

Hanzo sat for a minute trying to digest everything that sir McCree, or duke of what? Deadlock castle? Paxton Castle? The elder Shimada wasn’t sure. He'd stick with Sir McCree for now, the man didn’t seem big on titles anyway.

Hanzo had just received a whole lot of information about a kingdom he wasn’t even familiar with. He supposed he could see McCree's point, a kingdom run by outlaws that did dealings in shady business would see a prince as an opportunity to make more money. 

He was torn though because it wasn’t like he could just leave McCree here either.

Hanzo had seen every other man and woman rescued, home safely and he wasn’t about to leave this man in the wilderness by himself. He was a trained assassin and a highly skilled bowman, he could handle a few outlaws, besides he only needed to be able to see the gates in order to assure McCree was home safe. He didn’t actually have to enter the castle grounds.

"Yes, you have expressed your gratitude several times and as I have said every other time you are welcome, Sir McCree. Now about getting you home, I know you do not want me to accompany you but I won't leave you here. So, I will accompany you but as soon as I see the castle gates I will leave you to finish the journey to your castle."

McCree still looked uneasy and was still rubbing his hands up and down his thighs, "I take it I won’t change your mind about this?" Hanzo gave him a curt shake of his head, "alrighty then, I guess taking me within range of the castle shouldn't be too life threatenin’. Will we still be leavin’ first thing in the mornin’?" 

Hanzo tilted his head slightly, "is that alright with you Sir McCree?"

The knight turned his gaze to the fire, "I'd prefer I be the only one leaving for Deadlock castle in the morning but since I can't dissuade you, it'll be jus’ fine."

Hanzo nodded once before placing Stormbow in its case, "I shall go let Genji know what is to happen tomorrow."

"ya, alright, darlin’. It’s been a long day for me so I'm prob'ly gonna turn in. Good night Prince Hanzo."

Giving the knight a small bow, the prince responded in kind, "Rest well, Sir McCree." 

Hanzo turned from the fire in search of Genji. He found his brother hanging around a few of the other knights, "Brother, could I please steal you away for a moment, I would like to fill you in on what is going to happen tomorrow."

Excusing himself the younger Shimada followed the elder to a spot away from the other knights,"why did you pull me away? Aren’t we just going to do the same thing we've done every other time? I lead the knights to Shimada Castle and you make sure our royal, or rather knight, is home safe?"

"Yes, that was the plan but Sir McCree's situation is not the same as every other rescue," he detailed to his brother what McCree had just told him by the fire about Paxton Castle and Deadlock.

Genji was quiet for a minute, "you know what this means don’t you?" 

Hanzo gave the young ninja a perplexed look, "I will not be able to lead Sir McCree all of the way to the gates?"

The younger Shimada look exasperated, "well obviously, but if Sir McCree is also a duke that makes him a royal. Which means you could totally marry him and get him away from Deadlock!"

Genji seemed very excited by the idea though Hanzo wasn’t convinced of its genius status, "stop talking nonsense. I am just going to help Sir McCree home I am not here to solve all of his problems."

Genji rolled his eyes, "aniki, not only would you solve his problems but you’d solve yours too! Sir McCree isn’t first tier royalty which means he won’t be boring, he’s pretty easy on the eyes, and given all of the darlings and flirty glances he was giving you all the way down the mountain, I suspect, he thinks you’re pretty cute too."

Hanzo could see the younger Shimada's point. McCree was cute, he had shaggy brunet hair and a goatee style beard, he was young too, probably right around Hanzo’s age if not a year or two older. Also, he hasn’t spoken once about any of the other dull things the other royals talked about insistently, though, he has only known him a few hours.

"The ride to his kingdom will take several days, I shall talk to him, but do not get any ideas in your head and I swear, brother, if you start spreading rumors before I get back to the castle I will shave your eyebrows off while you sleep."

Genji's hands shot to his forehead, "I won't speak a word, I swear!"

The elder Shimada nodded, "good, now, get to bed you’ve got a long ride back to Shimada castle ahead of you."

The younger Shimada’s hands dropped, "You too, aniki, you’ve got a long, hopefully eventful, ride ahead of you as well."

Hanzo leveled his gaze at his brother.

"Anyway, goodnight, aniki, I shall see you in the morning! " Genji called over his shoulder as he headed back towards the knights he was talking with prior to his brother’s interruption.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first leg of our journey to take Jesse home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

The next morning brought a lot of commotion with it. They had to pack up camp and make sure the fire was thoroughly doused before the two groups set out. Sir McCree said it had taken him and his knights about five days for them to make it to the base of the mountain so, Hanzo had to pack enough rations for him and his two knights for at least two weeks seeing as how they would not be able to replenish their stock at Deadlock Castle.

Thankfully Hanzo had grown accustom to having to bring an extra horse for the rescued royal to ride on, two people riding on one horse wasn’t very comfortable for days on end. Not to mention it probably wasn’t very good for the horse.

The two brothers said their goodbyes and Genji headed back towards Shimada Castle while Hanzo headed in almost the exact opposite direction towards Deadlock Castle. 

The path they were on was only wide enough for two horses to ride side by side so the two knights had fallen in step behind Hanzo and McCree. The going was quiet for about ten minutes before Sir McCree decided to fill the silence.

“Ya know, you really don’t need to go with me back to Deadlock castle. I’m puttin’ you and your guards even further from Shimada Castle than ya already are. I don’t even need this horse, I can hoof it back to the castle.”

Hanzo turned a hard gaze on the other man, “Sir McCree, we have been over this, I am not changing my mind, I am riding with you until I see the gates of the castle and that is final. Question me again and you will be, as you say, hoofing it with me riding right beside you.”

Sir McCree held up his hands in appeasement, “Okay, okay, darlin’ I won’t speak of it again. Another thing, ya can call me Jesse if you want, I'm so tired of always bein’ referred to as Sir McCree. I prefer my given name over my family name.”

Hanzo turned to look at the road ahead of them, “If that is what you desire then that is what I shall call you.”

Jesse nodded, “Thank ya kindly.”

The talking quieted for a minute before Jesse was at it again, “so can I ask why you’re out here rescuin’ royals? You’re a prince after all, an heir in fact, shouldn’t people be seekin’ you out for your hand in marriage instead of you tryin’ to win it with a rescue?”

“Well yes, I suppose that my hand in marriage would be a prize for someone else but of all the royals I have met none of them are able to hold intelligent conversation for more than three minutes and I could not bear the thought of having to listen to the same thing over and over for the rest of my days. So, I set out to try and find someone of interest, thought maybe all of the smart ones had been royalnapped.”

The duke chuckled, “so you’re a picky prince, are ya? Not willin’ to settle so you can get on your father’s throne as quickly as possible?”

“Ruling the Shimada Empire is my birth right, I have been groomed for it my whole life. Though I do not mind taking over for my father, I do not wish to do so with a spouse that is only good for a decoration.”

Jesse nodded, “ya know what? I totally understand what you’re gettin' at, come to think of it, before Deadlock took over, I didn’t really hang out with the rest of the Paxton royalty much. They never did anythin’ worth my time, I guess.”

The prince nodded, “I do not simply want a placeholder as my spouse, I would like to find someone actually worth my time, though, I don’t think that will be possible now.”

Jesse turned to Hanzo, “why is that, darlin’?”

The Shimada heir let out a dry chuckle, “I have been trying to find someone worth my time for months now. It has been one rescue after another. Do you know how exhausting it is to beat the monster and get to the royal just to find out they are another empty head or ungrateful child?,” he turned to Jesse, “you are the most interesting royal I have met thus yet and you are not even who I came out here to find. 

“Not to mention I am going to have to settle because father says my time to decide on a spouse is up. He's tired and I know it is my responsibility to take the burden of running the Shimada Empire off his shoulders. I need to stop thinking of myself and put my family's needs first.”

“Now hol’ up a second darlin’, a spouse is somethin’ you should be allowed to be selfish with. You’re gonna be spendin’ the rest of your life with this person, wantin’ to find someone that you’re compatible with is completely reasonable.”

“Yes, and that’s the same thing father said when I told him I wanted to wait to be wed. Unfortunately, my time is up and now I need to choose. I am not allowed to be picky anymore, Jesse.”

“Well that’s down right criminal, forcing your son and heir to be with someone that doesn’t make them happy,” the duke shook his head

Hanzo nodded, he was rolling around the thought of telling him Genji’s suggestion when Jesse spoke again, “hell, I'd marry ya if I could,” Hanzo watched as Jesse’s eyes widened slightly and he whipped his head around to watch the trail ahead of them.

That wasn’t quite the reaction he was hoping for but he ventured on, “actually my brother had mentioned something to that effect. You are royalty so technically you and I could be wed and it would solve both of our problems. You would be out of Deadlock Castle and I would have a spouse with thoughts all their own.”

Jesse let out and uneasy chuckle and was rubbing at the back of his neck, “aw shucks darlin’ ya flatter me but you wouldn’t wanna be tied down to a measly ‘ol duke like me, when you have your choice of any prince or princess in the realm.”

Hanzo let out a disgusted sound, “I have already told you that the princes and princesses are a bore. And you are not a measly old duke, you are out here trying to change your fate, same as me.”

Jesse still had his hand on his neck, “I don't know if ‘change my fate’ would be...”

Hanzo cut him off, “you literally just said you would marry me.”

Jesse threw his hands up and shouted, “well I lied, ok?”

Hanzo waited for him to continue when he did it was at a lower volume, “I’m a criminal, Prince Hanzo, you don’t want that kind of bad blood wed into your family.”

Hanzo was perplexed to say the least, “wait, you said Deadlock was involved in shady business you never said that you had partaken in his dealings.”

“Come on, Prince Hanzo you can’t be that thick, he made me pledge my loyalty but obviously that wouldn’t be the end of it. He forces every member of the Paxton royal family to do his biddin’ to ensure that they won’t turn on him. If everyone who would want to turn against Deadlock is also a criminal then there's not much they can do.”

“So, Deadlock forced the rest of the royal family that he did not kill to become criminals just like him? If that is the case then rescuing another royal is not going to be enough to get you out of Deadlock castle. Deadlock is not going to let one of his runners go just because they rescued a royal.”

Jesse was silent, “you realize that, don’t you? These rescues you’ve been going on are pointless because Deadlock is not going to let you go if what you say is true.”

Jesse remained silent, looking away from Hanzo, “Sir McCree I asked you a question!”, Hanzo was getting annoyed now, he wasn’t stuck up but he did not take kindly to being ignored.

With his head still down Jesse responded, “ya ya, I heard ya. How dumb do you think I am Prince Hanzo? Deadlock took over Paxton castle when I was 16 years old, I have been livin’ by his rules for over six years. I have been miserable, stuck in this man’s hell for over six years, the only reason I still live in Deadlock castle is because I will not leave my mother and sister there to face Deadlock without me. 

“My baby sister is only 16 years old and he has told me on many occasions that if I even think of steppin’ out of line, both her and my mother will be sold to the highest bidder as slaves, or worse.”

McCree’s head whipped up to look at Hanzo, angry tears rolling down his face, “I will not leave those two there to face Deadlock without me, I can only pray that they are still safe if Deadlock thinks I'm dead. The boy next door said he would look out for them if anything ever happened to me but if Deadlock doesn’t like the sound of that then they might already be in danger.”

His head dropped once more and the two men rode in silence for a long time. Hanzo was trying to process everything while he gave Jesse a bit to cool down. This Deadlock sounded like he was a problem in the realm that needed to be dealt with and soon but Jesse still hadn’t answered his question, not really. Rescuing a royal was not going to free him so why was he doing it.

It had probably been close to an hour of near silence, “I am sorry that this has been the life you have had to lead for so many years but I still do not understand why you were out here trying to rescue Prince Kushal if doing so would not further your goal of getting away from Deadlock.”

When Jesse spoke, his voice was flat as if all emotion had been drained from it, “That was Deadlock’s idea. Obviously not every kingdom in the realm is gonna know that Paxton castle is no more. Deadlock laid low for the first few years and so the castle still receives scrolls from other kingdoms asking for aide. Deadlock figured a monarch that sent out a scroll to find their lost child would pay a pretty penny to see them returned safely. 

“Naturally he chose me to be the runner for this kind of thing, more chances to kill me off and get at my mother and sister. He sends me out to retrieve the royal and then when I bring them back Deadlock sends out his own scrolls saying if they would like the royal returned safe and sound then they better be willin’ to cough up a large chunk of gold.”

To be honest the answer didn’t surprise Hanzo as much as it alarmed him, “so that’s why you were so adamant that you return by yourself, you didn’t want me to fall to the same fate as the other royals that had been brought to Deadlock castle.”

“ring-a-ding-ding you’ve won the prize,” Jesse fell into silence once more.

“But why? I am next in line for my throne, without me, my family would face years of hardship trying to prepare Genji for the throne while my father remained the King. My father would pay a hefty reward for my safe return. Why not just ransom me off like all the other royal children?”

Jesse shook his head, “this isn’t what I want, this is what Deadlock wants. I’m not gonna feed his empire by bringin’ in royals that he hasn’t sent me after. Not to mention, without you I would be dead or locked in a tower left to rot. I’m not one to bite the hand that saves me.”

The two men fell to silence once more. 

“Thank you, Jesse. It is good to know that even though the cards you have been dealt have made your life difficult you have not let it change your heart. You are a good man.”

“Prince Hanzo please, you’re makin’ me blush,” Jesse lifted his head to look at Hanzo and as he did the prince could see the dark clouds start to clear from his face and a smile begin to shine through.

“Well, I am sure even a blush would look lovely on a face as handsome as yours,” Hanzo turned his face away from Jesse and tried to keep his reaction to himself, those words were not meant to be voiced. Jesse was just being so genuine that Hanzo let it slip. 

It didn’t help that the more he looked at and learned about Jesse the more attractive he found the young duke.

Hanzo was looking away from Jesse and so couldn’t see his face but he figured his smile was out in full force now, “what was that, darlin’? It sounded to me like you said I've got a handsome face, you like what you see Mr. Picky Prince?”

Hanzo could feel heat rising to his cheeks and with his fair complexion Jesse would be able to see it in a heartbeat and so, the prince kept his face turned away, “I was simply stating the fact that your face is handsome, that does not mean it is particularly handsome to me.”

You could hear the teasing tone in his voice, it was irritating, “then how come ya won’t look at me darlin’? Afraid of what I might see written across your handsome face?”

Hanzo’s blush deepened, “That is Prince Hanzo to you.”

“Fine, Prince Hanzo, but ya still aint lookin’ at me.”

Hanzo scoffed, “my looking away has nothing to do with you, I thought I heard something behind the trees,” his cheeks were cooling rapidly and was able to turn and face Jesse whose eyes were scanning the trees with a small smile on his face.

“I didn’t hear nothin’ darlin’, thinkin’ you might be fibbin’ a bit to cover your own ass.”

Hanzo deadpanned at Jesse, “that is a double negative darling,” the term was dripping with so much sarcasm that it had started to pool, “so you heard something too, and I told you it’s Prince Hanzo,” he snapped before turning to face forward.

The smile had dropped off of Jesse’s face, “Woah, Prince Hanzo, I was just teasin’ ya, no need to get nasty,” Hanzo didn’t respond and the party fell into silence.

Some time passed before Jesse spoke up again, “Look, Prince Hanzo, I’m sorry for not callin’ you by your proper title and for teasin’ you. I’ll stop callin’ you darlin’ and I'll stop teasin’ just so long as you stop bein’ mad at me.”

Hanzo let out a sigh and his head drooped slightly, “It is not your fault and I am not mad with you, Jesse, I do not mind if you use my proper title or not, I just get a little defensive when caught off guard. It does not happen very often and when it does, I tend to feel out of control of my emotions and the heir to the Shimada empire is not allowed to lose control. So, I am sorry as well, for snapping at you.”

Jesse chuckled, “darlin’ you’re gonna hafta do a lot more than snap at me to get me upset with you. Also, what do you mean ‘you’re not allowed to lose control of your emotions’? That’s somethin’ that’s human and if you beat yourself up over it, you’re gonna end up miserable.” 

The duke snapped his fingers, “ya know what? It’s just you, me, and your two knights here. So, from now until we reach Deadlock Castle this is a control free zone. If you want to let your emotions fly then so be it. I won’t tell a soul and you two ladies will keep it under wraps, right?,” both women nodded and responded with ‘yes, sir’.

“See, darlin’? Nothing to worry about so you let your emotions fly just as far as you want.”

Hanzo let a small smile grace his features, “thank you, Jesse, I actually really appreciate that. I have had to watch myself and be the perfect heir for so long I don’t even know if I remember how to behave any other way.”

Jesse shrugged, “I’m sure it’ll come to ya. If not I’m just the right guy to help ya remember,” the duke winked at the archer and Hanzo could feel the color inch at the edge of his cheeks.

A chance to be something other than the perfect son and heir to the Shimada empire. Essentially, Genji. Although, he loved his brother dearly some days he got envious. The standard of behavior was so drastically different between the two sons. 

While Hanzo was expected to sit in on meeting and his father’s other royal duties Genji was allowed to be off playing with the other royal children in the castle. He didn’t think Genji had ever seen what it is his father did all day. Hanzo was expected to be the perfect son and anything else was punished. His younger brother, on the other hand, simply got a scolding and was sent off once more to do whatever he wanted.

If Hanzo was being honest his father’s responsibilities were painfully dull but he knew it was his job to take the burden off his father’s shoulders. It was something he had accepted years ago. Still though, it was nice to know he didn’t have to watch himself for the short time he was with Jesse.

The prince relaxed, and the two men fell into conversation as they continued down the trail.


End file.
